Living the Dream
by Paradox Jast
Summary: -Contemplating Rewrite- Gambit's powers manifest in unpredictable, and unprecedented ways. He joins the X-Men to control his powers, but not everything happens according to plan.
1. Prologue

The X-Men and Gambit are not owned by me or Whagent. We wish. We write about them for fun, and because we like them lots.

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Prologue - by Paradox Jast

Early Fall, 1992

Jean-Luc LeBeau stood there, arms crossed, staring at the medical cot his young adopted son was lying on. He knew the circumstances of what caused the boy to lie here, but how it came about was still a mystery to him. Looking over to his elder biological son, Henri, he raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask another question about what happened, but then closed it and went back to looking at Remy instead. Their guild healer, Mattie Baptiste, was currently dabbing Remy's forehead with a cool washcloth.

Henri spoke up. "I still don get it. I've been replayin' what happened at de museum over and over in my head, an' it still don make sense. All he did was touch de ruby. It was de perfect pinch, he pulled it off flawlessly."

Jean-Luc's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his lips pulling down in a small frown. "I don' get it either, an' I don' see how speculatin' is gonna do us much good at dis point. I believe everythin' y' be tellin' me, since I have no reason not t'. Because o' dat, I'll agree wit' y' assessment dat Remy passed his initiation and is now an official Journeyman T'ief o' de Guild."

Henri's shoulder's noticeably sagged, and he exhaled loudly. _I guess he's relieved_, thought Jean-Luc. _He kept claiming with confidence that Remy would make it okay through the initiation, he had no doubts. Then this little... incident... happened. I wonder how much of this concern is for Remy, and how much of it is worry that he failed as a sponsor?_

--flashback--

_"What is it wit' y' and y' incessant need t' pull stupid stunts like dat?!" Henri huffed. "Y' coulda gotten caught, an if y' did, y' woulda failed de initiation!"_

_His younger brother snorted and chuckled. "Maybe I didn' need to do it, but y' shoulda seen de look on y' face. B'sides, de guard didn't see me moonin' him, so what y' gettin' y' panties all in a bunch fo'?"_

_Henri just shook his head and pointedly started walking down the hallway towards their target. He knew better than to argue with his little brother over something he did, it wouldn't get him anywhere. Henri wanted to pull this pinch off as quickly as he could, mostly because robbing museums was incredibly boring. Low security, low threat, easy smash and grab job. A client wanted something from here, and was willing to pay exceedingly well for it. It was a perfect job for Remy to perform his initiation pinch. Henri stopped and turned to look back at his brother._

_Remy looked up at him. "What we stoppin fo'?"_

_Henri raised an eyebrow at him. "It's yo' pinch, y' should be leadin'. Not me. Y' memorized the blueprints for dis place, right?"_

_Remy scoffed. "O' course. I ain' stupid."_

_"Y' sure? I wonder sometimes..."_

_Remy scowled at him. "Y' so mean. Why did papa let y' be my sponsor?" He performed a few fake sniffles, but Henri didn't take the bait and crossed his arms over his chest, so Remy walked around Henri without another word and proceeded down the hallway._

_Henri just rolled his eyes and fell into step behind him. "So, should I bother timin' y' on how long it takes y' t' crack de security on our item?"_

_Remy shrugged, not looking back at his brother. "Up t' y'. Don' really care. I jus' wanna get outta here so I can get home in time before de Saturday mornin' cartoons come on."_

_Henri chuckled. "Alright den."_

_They entered a small room near the back of the museum. In the center of the room was a display case, with a small ruby sitting in it on black velvet. It didn't much look like any ruby Henri had seen before, it seemed to suck light into it instead of passing through it. Small pillars outlined the room in a circular fashion around the case, each pillar was connected at about waist height by a thick cord, to keep people from standing all about the room... or so guards during the day can get a good vantage point on the crowd._

_"Do y' remember where de security..." Henri heard a small clicking noise as Remy walked up to one of the pillars. "...panel is. Never mind."_

_Remy turned his head slightly, smirked at Henri, then turned his attention back to the panel, opening it and studying the insides._

_"I thought y' said dis would be hard?" Remy reached into his pack and pulled out his wire strippers._

_Henri shrugged, more to himself than to Remy. "It would be to a normal apprentice t'ief. But as y' have proven on more dan one instance tonight, y' far from normal. I get de impression y' done somethin' like dis before, probably more dan once."_

_Remy spoke while messing with the wires behind the panel, not bothering to look at his brother while talking. "What do y' think me an Emil do all day, play tag?" He snorted. "I been in here before. I take stuff and return it t' dem in de mail. Genard won' buy nothin' from me without papa's permission."_

_Henri's mouth formed into a grim line. "Y' know y' gotta be eighteen before de Harvest Disseminator can take anythin' off y' hands. Guild law."_

_"I know, I know. Man, de guild is no fun sometimes."_

_"De guild isn' about fun. It's about following de rules to make sure you don' get caught an live t' see another day."_

_Remy just shook his head. If he had anything to say as a retort, he didn't bother, instead commenting on his work in front of him._

_"An' de laser security grid..." There was a snipping noise of a wire being cut; Henri saw a brief flash of red near the case. "... it go bye-bye. Now, for de case lock mechanism... " Again, Henri watched Remy's nimble fingers go to work, and saw a brief spark as two wires crossed. Part of the glass on the case pulled back, exposing the ruby to the stale museum air. "... it open for moi."_

_Henri nodded in approval. "Not bad. Thirty seconds? Papa gon' be impressed."_

_Remy turned and gave Henri his best smile. "Papa's always impressed wit' me."_

_A snort. "Looks like de only thing we gonna have to work on now is dat ego of y's."_

_Remy stuck his tongue out briefly, then casually strolled over to where the ruby lie. He looked at it for a moment, then reached to grab it. That's when things started to get strange. As soon as Remy touched it with his fingers, the ruby made a noise like static electricity being discharged, then glowed a dull crimson. Something looking like red lightning shot out from the crystal, hitting Remy square in the chest, and threw him backward rather forcefully into a pillar behind him. Henri watched in stunned silence as Remy hit the pillar with a loud yelp, then slumped to the floor, apparently unconcious._

_"Remy?! Remy!? Can y' hear me?" Henri ran over and started shaking his brother lightly, but getting no response. "Merde!"_

_Swearing, Henri ran over to the ruby, pulling a cloth from his pack. He threw the cloth over the ruby so he wouldn't have to touch it, and closed the cloth over it. Tieing up the corners of the cloth into a small but sturdy knot, he tossed it into his pack, and went to retrieve his little brother._

_Muttering a string of curses under his breath, he grabbed Remy under his shoulder, hoisted him up, and lifted his legs up with his other arm. "It's good dat y' be so light." Henri knew getting out of the museum wasn't going to be easy carrying his brother, but he could get it done._

--end flashback--

Henri was replaying the events over in his mind for what seemed like the millionth time as he walked with his father to Jean-Luc's office nearby. When they got there, Jean-Luc asked to see the ruby for himself. Henri pulled it out of his pack, carefully untied the cloth, and gently set it down on his fathers desk.

"Dat is de strangest looking ruby I have ever seen."

Henri nodded. "I was thinkin' de same thing. Doesn' look like any light passes through 't. Just gets sucked in."

Jean-Luc leaned forward, elbows on his desk, chin resting on his hands. "When Remy wakes up, I'm gonna bring him wit' me to see de client. Maybe he knows something about dis ruby. He was willing t' pay quite a lot for it."

Henri looked suprised. "But de Harvest Master..."

Jean-Luc waved a hand, cutting him off. "De Harvest Master still answers 't me. He may be on de council, but I am de Patriarch. I'm gonna visit de client --wit' Remy-- regardless if he agrees to it o' not. If somethin' happened t' my son because of dis..." He gestured at the ruby, "... thing, I want t' know what might happen."

Nodding, Henri clenched his fists, then released them. He took a large breath and exhaled. "Well den... I guess I'll go keep an eye on de little demon t' see when he wakes up. How long 'till y' go for dat visit?"

"Couple days. Need t' tell de council, an' make some arrangements. Den book de flight t' Arizona."

Henri paused, his hand on the doorknob. "Arizona? We ever had a client from Arizona before?"

Jean-Luc shrugged, and shook his head. "Don' know. Don' think so. I thought it was unusual t'. I'll figure out why de client is dere after I get an explanation from him about de ruby."

Henri nodded to his father and left the room, closing the door lightly behind him. _This is getting strange. I better keep an eye on that kid, who knows what that thing might have done to him._ Henri walked down the hall back to where his brother was lying, the sound of his boots echoing in the long empty hallway.


	2. Chapter 1

Of course - the disclaimer. We don't own any of these characters, Marvel does.

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Chapter 1 - by Whagent

Late fall, 1992.

"It be rainin', Remy."

"Quit yo belly achin, Henri, and deal de cards." Remy charmed as he leaned back in his seat to revel in the rain. Henri hates being on the roof, but was up there anyway for his kid brother.

Henri flicked two cards in front of himself and two more to his brother. "Now, you look at yo' cards and add 'em up. If ya want more you say hit me…"

"I know HOW to play, Henri! Papa already done told me how to play everyt'ing he knows." The youngster bragged, while turning the cards over to reveal an ace and a queen.

"You need to respect you' elders, boy, less you need a red hide to go wit' dose goofy eyes you got now." The agitated boy jumped, nearly losing his balance on the slick roof.

"An' doubt if Papa has taught you everyt'ing he know about gamblin'."

Meeting his brother's stance, but with more grace, "he has! Along with all he know 'bout women!

We spent all day out fishin'!"

"FISHIN'! How can you learn all dat de leader of the t'ieves guild knows by spendin' a day fishin?!" beyond aggravated, Henri threw the entire deck at Remy's face in disgust, with a slight hint of jealousy. To both of their surprise, the younger boy caught every card before they could hit any part of his body.

Slightly shaken and hesitant, Henri sat back down on the roof, "How you do dat, Remy? How you catch everyone…"

Shaken himself, Remy met Henri's gaze. His eyes, once a vibrant hazel now darkened like a deep bruise, began to glow. "I don' know, Henri. Do I tell Papa an' Mattie?"

"I don' know, ami…What yo hand be doin'?!" Henri frightened at the sight of his brother's hand, along with the cards, glowing a bright fuchsia. The two boys lost their balance and slid down the roof. Henri scrapped and grabbed for a hold, but was found wanting. Remy reached as well and was able to grab onto the gutter-drain with his free hand. Seeing Henri unable to catch himself, he let the glowing cards fall as he grabbed his brother's hand.

"Let go of me!" Henri screamed. "You is gonna do dat creepy t'ing to me!!" Before Remy could reply, a loud explosion enveloped the lawn beneath the two dangling boys. Remy loosened his grip, "Don' you let go of me… wait... was dose de cards? LET GO OF ME!"

"HENRI! REMY! What de hell is happenin' up dere?"

In unison the boys copped, "don' know papa!" Terribly mad, Jean-luc stepped out from the dust and grabbed Henri's foot and yanked to two down to the ground. Henri hit hard on one knee, but with grace. Remy on the other-hand, landed without a sound onto his toes. Not showing acknowledgment of the landing, Jean-luc grabbed Remy by the collar and yanked him inside the large home and into his office. Henri rushed to follow, but was stopped cold by a stern look from his father.

Slamming the door behind him, Jean-Luc sat Remy hard into a chair. Sitting across a desk from Remy, Jean-Luc grabbed a cigarette from his top drawer and sat in silence, staring at his son.

A few minutes went by before he distinguished his cigarette in a golden ashtray and spoke to Remy. " T-The ruby you and you' brother has done some strange tings to you boy, I won' lie about dat…but non as strange as what de person I spoke to on de phone told me." Nervous, Remy lowered his head into his chest.

"Don' be disrespectin' me, boy!" Jean-Luc bellowed in an intimidating tone. Remy shot his head back up and met his father's gaze again.

"Later dis evenin', you will be given a physical test wit an acquaintance of mine. He's said to know 'bout dis kind of… tings. Until den, I want you to go to de sparrin' square and train till I get ya. You got dat, Remy!"

"Oui, sir."

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Chapter 3 is already written, it's just being beta read. Should be posted within the next day or three. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - by Paradox Jast

Late Fall, 1992

Jean-Luc flipped through his paper, taking note that overall it had been a rather slow day yesterday in New Orleans. He had creased the corners of several pages, ones that had stories about collector's art pieces, investments, and real estate. Some of those could be followed up on for new 'acquisitions' for the guild. Upon glancing at the first page of the sport section, he carefully folded the paper up and placed it back into his briefcase. Before he closed the briefcase, he double checked to make sure the ruby he was delivering was still there. Better safe than sorry.

Glancing to his left, Remy was currently sleeping with his hands folded across his lap. They bore fresh scars from the past two days since whatever was going on with the boy, he couldn't do anything to control it. Jean-Luc had watched him try down by the pond when Remy was skipping stones - a few smaller ones blew up right in his hands. Remy would run, sometimes screaming, other times just teary-eyed with his mouth set in a firm line to Tante Mattie. She would patch him up, and then he would go right back down there and try again. He was down there for most of the evening waiting for each stone he picked up to glow. Most of them didn't, but it seemed as soon as Remy became frustrated and ready to give up, the next one he picked up would. Two nights prior, he had taken Remy to another acquaintance of his, one who had a reputation of dealing with 'strange' people. His son endured the physical, whining through the whole ordeal, but the man couldn't offer any new insights as to why things would randomly blow up, or why his eyes would change from hazel to a deep crimson and back again. The only thing his acquaintance suggested was that he contact one of his colleagues up north... the man had scribbled down a name and number on a piece of paper. A 'trusted' person who was even better at dealing with the unexplainable than he was.

Jean-Luc reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the piece of paper, examining the name for what must have been the dozenth time since they started on this trip. Charles Xavier. He folded up the paper again and pocketed it once more.

Looking past Remy, out the window, Jean-Luc couldn't really tell where they were since there appeared to be heavy cloud cover. It was going on nearly 4 hours into the trip, so they couldn't be that much further off. The hum of the jet engines in the background was starting to become noticeable since he didn't have anything to occupy himself with. The in-flight movie had something to do with animated talking cars - he had no interest in it, even if the rest of the first class section had been chuckling at random intervals, and flat out laughed a few times. He certainly didn't feel like even cracking a smile right now. Settling back in his chair, he pulled a headset out from the pouch of the seat in front of him. He plugged it in, set the dial to some soft jazz, and gradually nodded off into a nap.

Remy awoke to being shaken lightly, by a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Remy. Wake up. We're here."

Blinking a few times, he nodded groggily and yawned. It was a nice nap, but for some odd reason he was still feeling a little drained. _Nothing a decent sleep in a real bed shouldn't fix._ He got to his feet and stepped out into the aisle. Looking into the overhead for his duffel, he noticed it was empty.

"I got y' duffel here." Jean-Luc was a little ahead of him down the aisle, motioning to follow. His father must have waited for most of the section to empty before they disembarked since after scanning the area, they were two of a handful of people still there. "We talked about dis before, I don' need y' touchin' things before we get to our destination."

Remy nodded without reply, and fell into step behind his father. _We already talked before, no sense having him repeat anything. I know why he doesn't want me touching anything, and I can't say I blame him. But its gonna be hard, being a thief and all._

They made it through the airport without incident. They were picked up by a cab and headed for downtown Tucson. Most of the trip was quiet, though Remy listened to his father make occasional chitchat with the taxi driver. He enjoyed this part about being in the guild, listening to some of his fathers wonderfully woven stories about what they do. Even though they'd likely never meet this man again, being regaled with tales about an alligator farmers work would bore anyone to tears. This taxicab driver was no different, no more than 10 minutes into the chat, he asked if there was any radio station we'd like to listen to.

Jazz.

When we arrived at our destination, we paused outside for a little bit. _This is supposed to be a laboratory?_ It looked more like a warehouse - no windows, slanted roof, rather large entrance - _but like Papa says, 'appearances can be decieving'. According to the briefing I got before this trip, Dr. Essex is a small-time chemist who has an interest in rare materials. That ruby looks like a pretty rare material to me, so I guess thats right. Still... wierd looking lab._

They walked up to the door and Remy watched his father push the button on the intercom. A moment later, there was hissing static, followed by a dull, female voice.

"Welcome to Essex Labs, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here with a special package fo' Dr. Essex. It's a little early fo' delivery, but I'm hopin' he won' mind too much."

Remy raised an eyebrow and looked at his father. The voice on the intercom came back. "Please wait a moment while I inform Dr. Essex."

"How come y' speakin' without most of y' accent, Papa?" Remy inquired.

Jean-Luc looked at his son and tucked a loose strand of his long hair behind his ear. "Business. Y' can understand me easy because y' been livin' with nothin' but Cajuns since y' can remember. But fo' people dat don' hear a Cajun speak dat often, it can be hard t' understand us. I enunciate better so I don' have to repeat m'self. I don' like t' hear m'self talk dat much."

Remy nodded slowly and grinned, thinking about what his father said. _Makes sense, I guess. If I end up repeating what I say too often in the future, I guess I'll have to remember this. People outside New Orleans think Cajuns talk funny, well even Cajuns laugh at the way cousin Emil speaks. He's the only boy I know who talks in the third person. Gonna have to break him of that habit... maybe a prank. I'll have to think of one._

Remy's thoughts were interrupted as there was a sound of metal scraping metal, then an even louder noise as the large door was pulled open to the side. A large, rather nondescript man wearing a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and sunglasses stood in the doorway.

"Dr. Essex will see you now. Down the hallway straight ahead, second door on the left."

Remy saw Jean-Luc nod to the man, and walked past the man into the building. He followed swiftly in his fathers footsteps, eyes open and aware of their surroundings. The walls were all a bare white, which came as no suprise. He didn't notice any security cameras, and there weren't even many doors along the wall. To the back of the room they entered, near the hallway they were going to walk down, was a desk and the receptionist they talked to earlier. As the two of them walked past, she didn't even acknowledge them walking past. She had her elbow on her desk, leaning forward with her head resting against her hand and staring at something on the computer screen in front of her.

They approached the second door, and as they got closer Remy noticed that it was ajar. His father cleared his throat, rather loudly, and then placed his hand on the doorknob and opened it enough to peek inside.

"Empty. Dis is de room. We'll wait in here."

They entered the room and Remy looked around. _This has to be one of the emptiest rooms I have ever seen. A desk with a chair, and two more chairs. Nothing on the walls, nothing on the floor, the desk is bare, and no exits other than the one door... THAT isn't a good sign._ Remy moved and sat down at one of the chairs, while his father remained standing off to the side. _Papa told me to always start being aware of my surroundings, too bad there isn't much to be aware of in here._ Looking down at his hands in his lap, he started picking at one of the scabs when he could have sworn he 'felt' movement behind him, without anything even touching him.

"Ah, I see my package has arrived. Brought to me by the head of the New Orleans Thieves Guild, in fact. To what do I owe this visit?"

Remy turned around, and noticed two things. First, his father's look of suprise, which was quickly masked. The second thing he noticed was the new arrival, apparently Dr. Essex. Everything about him screamed 'average'. Average height, average weight, even his hair was trimmed to what most Americans would consider an average length for males. Brown hair with brown eyes. Decidedly average.

"I don' know how you knew I was the head of the guild, but I won' ask either. I know you probably wouldn' tell me anyway. The visit is on a more... personal tone."

Essex smiled, though Remy wasn't sure if he wanted to classify it as a smile. It looked too... scary.

"You're correct. I wouldn't tell you. Suffice to say I have an idea as to what this ruby is capable of, and if something were to happen to one of your people while obtaining it, you would want answers from me. If it were just one person sent here to deliver, I doubt it would have been you. Since there are two of you, and one of you is rather young, I can deduce that the person in charge came to see me and the person he was with is rather... important." Essex looked at Remy and smiled again, then broke the contact and casually wandered back to his chair behind the desk.

If his father was suprised at all again, he didn't let it show on his face. _Ok, I don't like this man. He's too smart. He might be able to tell me what's going on with my body, but then it's his fault I'm like this in the first place._

Essex sat down. "Now, do you have the ruby?"

Jean-Luc nodded and walked up to the desk. He opened his briefcase, and grabbed the cloth that the ruby was wrapped in. Opening it carefully, he set it on the desk, closed his briefcase, and sat down next to Remy.

"Ah, there it is. I knew you wouldn't let me down, so I already had my secretary transfer the funds to your account. Plus, a little bonus, for the early delivery."

Jean-Luc nodded again. "Pleasure doin' business. I figured you might like it a little early, though I have a seemingly vested interest in it now as well."

Essex didn't reply, he was busy staring at the crystal. He grabbed it with his bare hand - Remy heard his father inhale sharply - and brought it up to his face to examine it closer.

"But... how? When my boy here touched it last, it exploded!"

Essex gave Jean-Luc a look of mild curiousity, then set the ruby back on the desk. "If it 'exploded', then how is it here right now?"

Jean-Luc opened his mouth, then closed it, as if thinking what to say. "As the other operative on the job told me, there was some red lightning that shot out from that ruby into the boy here, throwing him backwards against a wall."

Essex's head snapped over to look at Remy. "Interesting." Remy was sitting like a statue in his chair. _Interesting?! It freaking HURT! I'm only keeping my mouth shut now because I was ordered to._ Remy watched him lean back in his chair and press his fingertips together, as if he was concocting some scheme.

"First, allow me to explain a rather minor detail. This is no ordinary ruby. It has a name, and it is called the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Exactly what Cyttorak is or was, I know, but I see no point in telling you right now. I do know that this Gem has some rather unique properties, alas, I cannot tell you what those properties are. I needed you to steal it for me so I could study it and find out. I've heard rumors, such as it being able to grant people unique abilities, but I have not seen or heard of any proof. I will take a look at it, and let you know if I find anything out."

Jean-Luc stared at Essex with a look of incredulity. "Unique abilities."

Essex shrugged. "Like I said. Rumors. I can offer you no proof."

"Remy, do you think you could... do that thing you do?"

_WHAT?! _Remy looked at his father. "I don' think so. It usually happens when I don' want it t'."

"Do y' want it to now?"

"Non. It scares me."

Jean-Luc nodded, then grabbed the cloth they had wrapped the gem in. He balled it up and tossed it to Remy, who caught it without a second thought. That is, until it started to glow.

"Papa, wha...?" His eyes widened as he figured out what his father was thinking, then quickly tossed the cloth behind him. He heard it fizzle and let out a light bang. Looking behind him, it had turned to dust. It wasn't charged long enough to explode.

"What did y' do dat fo'!?" Remy was pissed, he was almost yelling.

However, Jean-Luc ignored him, instead turning to Essex, who was staring at the scene, expressionless. "That good enough proof?"

Essex did not smile. "Nearly. I'd like a small blood sample, if I may. To see if I can correlate any findings, figure out what happened. Perhaps there is a way I can fix that, or help the boy control it."

Jean-Luc's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were just a chemist?"

Essex still didn't smile, instead he stood up and headed for the door. "Perhaps." He stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. "I will contact you as soon as I know something more. There is a syringe at the front desk, leave the blood sample there. Have a safe trip back to New Orleans." With that said, he disappeared.

Remy was sitting in his chair, rubbing his hands together. He looked at his father. "So what now?"

Jean-Luc looked at his son, fatigue and worry in his eyes. "We wait."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - by Whagent

February 22, 1993

The rain gushed down on to Remy's bare skin, but flew from his body with each jerking movement. Droplets exploded in mid-air as his foot connected past them towards his target. More evaporated as his staff streamed the diameter of the roofless room, hitting each target assigned.

"Very well, young son, but remember that flashy movements will not impress an opponent that has a firm stance while you do not. Do not think you can rely on distracting movements to gain the advantage. Other than that, your father and I believe you may soon you'll be ready for your final test."

"Oui, Madam Moinet, but de sure looked good, no?"

The woman was hard and contained an intense glare that matched her training. She had been hired by Jean-Luc years ago to mentor to his sons in many forms of martial arts and survival training just like she did for him.

"MADAM MOINET? Madam Moinet?" came the ordering of a strong voice from behind the doorway. It opened gently as Jean-Luc peered in side. "Madam, I need to speak wit m' boy."

Her monotone voice answered obligingly as she stepped out of the training room and shut the door. Jean-Luc slowly walked from the shadows caused by the large pillars surrounding the room and knelt down onto a meditation pillow where Remy now sat. He reached into in overcoat and pulled out a white envelope. With a small smirk, he handed it to his son.

"Happy Birt'day, Remy."

"Merci, Pere. What dis be?"

"Open it an find out." Another smirk escaped his lips as Remy opened the envelope. The boy's eyes doubled in size at the item inside. Speechless, all the young boy could do was glare at the solid gold coin with an engraving of Fleur de Lis on it.

"On behalf of de T'ieves Guild… I, Jean-Luc Lebeau, give yo', Remy Lebeau, full membership into de Guild of T'ieves!"

"Merci! Merci, Pere, Merci!" The young boy leapt from his pillow into the air with great height. The joyous action caused a small grimace to Jean-Luc's face. It's been some time since his visit to the strange Dr. Essex, but still no word on how his boy could be doing these strange things.

"Now, Remy, I need you' to put dat coin up safely, and do it quickly, neh? 'Less yo' want it to blow up.

"Oui, papa."

Remy ran to his room while chuckling to himself. Faintly, Jean-Luc could hear him let out a yelp once his door was shut. Now alone in the dark training room, Jean-Luc bent down and grabbed the Bo staff that Remy had left. Running his fingers across it, he noted the many dents and dings it contained. He also noted the ever so slight warp on one end. Letting out an "Hmpf" he left the room with the staff.

Entering his study he leaned the weapon against a bookcase. Without even looking, he noticed something in the room was different. Without hesitation and on pure instinct, Jean-Luc turned with his son's staff in hand and took an aggressive stance. The only thing there, however, was a small metal box that had a note on it. After setting the staff back against the bookcase, he moved to his desk and grabbed the note. Upon opening it, He read:

_Mr. Lebeau,_

_ Happy Birthday, Remy Lebeau. Here is a gift on behalf of myself. Take one every morning._

_ Respectfully,  
Dr. Nathaniel Essex_

No wonder he had been so uneasy when entering the room. Even the way that man writes gives him an odd feeling. Opening the box, Jean-Luc held one of the many small, black pills it contained. He turned his head to the window and looked outside to see Henri and Remy speaking exuberantly to each other outside. Remy was still shirtless. Curious as to what may happen; Jean-Luc opened the window and gained the boys' attention.

"Remy, can yo' show me de thing with the cards again?"

"Oui, pere, but you sure you wan' me to do dat?"

"Oui, but just dis time."

Jean-Luc threw down a deck of cards from his desk drawer. Remy caught it perfectly and had two cards out and in his fingers almost instinctively. The tingling sensation returned to his hands again, but living with it these past few months, he was able to channel it a little, especially with the playing cards.

Taking aim at a close by tree, Remy strained slightly, but was able to cause the cards to glow. Once reaching a bright fuchsia, he let them spring from his fingers. The cards hit the tree perfectly, causing it to explode, leaving a whole in its trunk the size of a basketball.

"How is dat, Papa?"

"Merci, Remy. Now I want you to take dis pill and try again."

Upon catching the pill thrown at him, Remy swallowed it and took a card out of the deck. Focusing on another close-by tree, he tried to "charge" the card. Nothing happened. He tried again, this time straining and flexing his hand as hard as he could. Unable to do so, and relieved that he couldn't, he turned to his father in the window smiling. Jean-Luc smiled back. Remy still had those strange red pupils and black eyes, but that was a small consolation to Jean-Luc.

"Take one of dese a week." He threw down the small, metal box to Remy and shut the window. Relieved he turned and sat into his chair and leaned his head back.

RRRRGG! RRRGG!

Only a select few had the number to his study phone. The ring meant that it was either a large business transaction, or an emergency.

"Dis is Lebeau."

"Hello, Mr. Lebeau. I'm sorry to bother you, but my name is Charles Xavier..."

* * *

Chapter 4 will be posted either later today or tomorrow. 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - We don't own any Marvel characters that you recognize. We are writing about them because we like them. There may be a small handful of OC's in this story as plot devices to move it along. If you wanna use 'em, help yourself, just let us know so we can read about our characters.

Also - I know, I'm bad. I said that this chapter would've been posted a while back. Honestly, I wasn't happy with a few things in it. It was originally about half the length it is now. So I added a lot to it. Fixed some stuff up. Yeah. It's probably the longest chapter yet. The story kiiiinda started out slow (I admit) but as more of the plot is being fleshed out as we go along, its getting easier to write about. So, to save you from any further ramblings of mine, here is the next chapter, as promised.

* * *

Chapter 4 - by Paradox Jast

**Spring, 1993**

"Hello, Mr. Lebeau. I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Charles Xavier. Do you have a few moments to spare so that we may discuss something?"

Jean-Luc leaned forward over his desk, placing one arm on it for support. "I have a few moments, certainly. But before we begin, if y' could tell me how y' managed t' get dis number?"

There was a light chuckle from the other end of the phone. "I just happen to have many contacts. Some of which are in the government. I happened to get your number from S.H.I.E.L.D., if you must know. I told Colonel Fury that it was rather important for me to get in touch with you."

Jean-Luc settled back in his chair, his curiousity piqued. He never followed through with calling Xavier previously when he had been given his number. Yet, strangely enough, here was Xavier, calling him instead. On top of that, Xavier got his number from the government, which could only mean that he was a very powerful individual.

"Well, Mr. Xavier, since y' claim it's important, y' got my undivided attention."

"Very well, but please, call me Charles."

"Alright den, Charles. T' what do I owe dis call?"

Xavier didn't reply for a second, probably preparing himself for a speech. "As you are most certainly aware by now, your son has developed some rather unique talents. He is not the only one who has developed such gifts."

Jean-Luc snorted. "Gift? Pardon, but I wouldn' call blowin' up everythin' y' touch a 'gift'."

"Yes, it would seem that way. But that is because there is a lack of control over his gift." Xavier replied, without missing a beat. "As I was saying a moment ago, your son is not the only one who has this capability. While I have yet to see two powers that are exactly identical, in nearly every case all it takes is learning control to master each individual's respective ability. I have an Institution where I help these unique individuals to learn to control their abilities. I'm extending an invitation for you to come see the school with your son, take a look around, and see if perhaps you would like him to come here to learn to control his gift."

Jean-Luc pondered the offer for a few moments, allowing silence to settle over the conversation briefly. "I appreciate y' offer Charles. However, my boy has recently seen a doctor, and was given some medication to cure his ailment..."

"Your son's gift cannot be 'cured', Mr. LeBeau."

"... and be dat as it may, he no longer has any symptoms. It is completely under control now."

"I see. While I am interested to know how this came about, I will not press you for details." Jean-Luc heard Xavier let out a sigh over the phone. "Should you happen to change your mind about this, or if something should happen in the future, feel free to contact me at any time. The invitation will always remain, regardless."

"T'anks. I'll definitely keep y' in mind."

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Mr. Lebeau. Goodbye."

"G'bye." Jean-Luc hung up the phone, then leaned back in his chair again. So his son wasn't the only one. But how many people could have touched that Gem? No matter - Remy was cured now, so there was no longer a problem.

He got up from his chair and walked over to a nearby file cabinet. Opening it, he started rummaging around inside for the necessary paperwork for Remy's final test. It had to go together with his official membership papers. As much as he hated any sort of paperwork, he understood that it was a necessary evil in life. While the Guild tried to keep most things on portable electronic devices these days, paper was looked at as being more 'official'. Jean-Luc had the impression the Council members just liked seeing their names signed on important documents.

His office was what he liked to call an 'organized mess'. There was a place for everything - usually. The desk was always immaculate, in case he had important guests or clients arrive at a moments notice. As for the file cabinets, he could usually find what he needed within a minute. However, because of the recent phonecall, his mind was wandering.

"Come on, Luc, concentrate." he muttered to himself.

After several minutes of searching and a few muttered curse words later, Jean-Luc settled back into his chair once again. Grabbing a pen off his desk to fill out the necessary information, his thoughts couldn't help but wander back to his earlier conversation with Xavier. Deep down, he had a feeling he's be talking to the man about his offer someday. Something just didn't sit right with him in regards to Essex. But those were thoughts for another time.

He looked down at the paper in front of him and started to fill in the blanks.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Two Weeks Later**

Remy walked back into the training room. The part of the roof that had an open top for 'environmental training' let the cool, damp spring air in. His father brought him to one of the Guild's training safehouses so he could oversee the final stages of Remy's training in a more private, controlled environment. Today was his final test. _Had a hard time sleeping last night, was too excited for today. Now my nerves are getting to me; my fingers are tingling, and its not from my power._

Looking down at his hands, he closed them into fists and opened them again. _My power hasn't kicked in since I started taking the medication. It works, but I feel slow._ His movements weren't as fast as they were before. He'd been feeling awkward during these last few weeks of training but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. One thing he could definitely feel that was missing was his knack for knowing where things were. Things that moved, anyway. It was almost as if he could feel any objects that were moving around him, and he could tell where they were going. For some reason, his equilibrium was also thrown off a bit. Falling over in training is bad enough, but falling **up** the stairs is altogether embarassing. _I wonder if Papa has noticed. I'm sure he has, not much happens without him being aware of it one way or another._

The air had a slight chill on top of the feeling of heavy moisture, but his clothing was light. He started moving his arms around in a windmill motion, followed by stretching out his legs. The damp, heavy air would make it slightly harder to breathe when he started really getting into it, so he was taking deep breaths to prepare his lungs before the rigorous final training session began. _I've GOT to do this today! I really don't feel like another year of training before I get another chance to prove my skill._

Remy's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the training room opened, and his father walked in wearing his personal body armor. _Correction, just the chest and shin guards._

His father looked around the room, closing the door behind him. He turned to Remy and gave him a quick nod. "Ready?"

Remy frowned. "Where's Madam Moinet? I thought she was doin' my final session."

Jean-Luc shook his head. "I requested t' do y' final test. She's standin' in de hallway, lookin' through de observation glass. We just swapped positions."

_Well THIS is going to be interesting. I bet he's doing this on purpose, thinking I'd have too easy a time against Madame Moinet in a spar. He's right of course, but still..._ Remy shrugged.

"I guess we should get dis show on de road den." Remy walked over to the nearby wall, pulling his beat up staff off the rack. He looked it over, noticing all the scratches and indents along it from all the previous practice sessions. _If I pass my test today, I'm gonna have to ask Papa for a new staff._ Stepping back into the middle of the room he gave his father a brief once over, examining his posture for an opening weakness. Finding none, he gradually let his posture fall into a defensive stance and brought his staff up diagonally in front of him.

His father chuckled and took a small step towards him with a smirk. "_Dieu_, y' remind me so much of m'self, lookin' at y' now."

Remy let the corners of his mouth curl up in a small smile, but didn't reply. He watched his father gradually slip into stance in front of him. Taking the initiative, he quickly brought his staff around and down...

But not fast enough. His father brought his staff up, connecting. Deftly readjusting his grip, he brought the staff back, preparing to swipe it at his fathers midsection, but once again Jean-Luc was faster. Remy felt a sting on the side of his calf as his father's staff clipped his leg. Grunting slightly, Remy tried to continue his swing and only glanced his father's chestplate as the elder man gracefully leaned back just far enough.

"Comon' Remy, I've seen y' in action before. I know y' better dan dis."

Clenching his jaw, Remy leapt toward his father. He brought his staff down from overhead again, trying to get a routine started. Once again, his father blocked his attempt. Remy felt his arms shudder slightly as the staves connected, sending vibrations down his spine. Trying to switch it up a bit, he pushed down hard against the opposing weapon but it didn't budge, considering his father was easily stronger than he was. Instead of pulling back, he reversed pressure, pulling the top of the staff away from Jean-Luc and swinging the back end forward. _Its a cheap shot, but I need to get the upper hand!_ Jean-Luc saw it coming, however, and managed to get his staff to parry the attack just in time to block the low blow.

"Hey, dat woulda hurt!" Jean-Luc stepped back, squinting at Remy.

"Y' told me t' do what I need t' win... in a real fight, it wouldn' matter so long as I win."

His father pondered this for a second, then nodded and swung his staff around at Remy, trying to catch him offguard. Remy barely caught the attack with his staff in time, and as a result a loud metal _clang!_ bounced briefly around the room. He took a step back, momentarily knocked off balance, flexing his fingers around the staff. The tips of his fingers were tingling from the force of the impact.

"I could've had you right dere, Remy. What's goin' on?"

Growing frustrated, Remy took a step back, bracing himself and starting up momentum for a sweep. Bringing his staff around, he twirled it for a moment, then swung it low with all he could muster, and simply _pushed_.

Remy felt his arms and hands warm up, and suddenly felt... alive? He was able to 'feel' his fathers presence in front of him. His fathers eyes opened wide for a moment after their staves connected once again. Remy noticed that his staff seemed to be glowing a faint magenta, but he didn't pay it any attention. He was too busy concentrating on trying to win.

Even though the staves had connected with each other again, Remy let his momentum carry him. He planted the end of his staff down on the ground near where his father blocked his last move, then leaped up. Sliding his hands up towards the top of his staff, he pushed off from it, adding to the height of his leap. With the extra boost, he flew over his father's shoulder before the man even registered what Remy had done.

Landing in a crouch then turning slightly, he pulled his staff around in another sweep, catching his fathers ankles. The action swept Jean-Luc's feet out from under him, but as he fell backward the elder thief planted his hands on the ground behind him, compressed his body like an accordion, then pushed off the ground and flipped back up onto his feet.

Before his father could totally regain his balance, Remy brought his bo-staff back up in one swift motion, hitting Jean-Luc's staff on its far end. He saw his fathers grip loosen a little bit, so he brought the back end of his staff up from behind him, over his head, and down on top of the opposing weapon. There was another loud _clang!_ as metal hit metal, then a soft thump as his father's staff fell from his grip to the training room floor. A one-hundred eighty degree twist and small flourish later, Remy had the side of his staff pressed against his father's chest.

He grinned. "Gotcha."

His father smiled. "So y' did. And in record time t'. Congratulations. However..." Jean-Luc's smile died and he pointed toward the ground while taking a few steps backwards. He grabbed Remy's staff with his other hand and pulled him back as well.

Remy looked where his father was pointing, and gasped in suprise. The soft glow he saw earlier finally registered in his mind. An awkwardly shaped splotch on the ground was glowing where his staff had briefly touched the floor. No more than a few seconds after he registered what the pink spot on the floor was, it exploded - sending bits of charred leather and padding all over the room.

Father and son turned away and covered their heads right before the explosion. It wasn't big enough to do a lot of harm, but the room was going to smell bad for a while. Bits of smoking padding were falling to the ground around them. Remy turned to face his father, speechless. His face was devoid of any coloring.

"... y' eyes glowed for a moment dere Remy. I mean really glowed, from within. Was right before y' planted y' staff on de ground and sent de charge int' it. Seems t' me like y' powers are returnin'."

Remy still looked shocked but nodded, color slowly returning to his face. "I figured. De fight went from really tough, t' sort of... well... easy. I think, all dis time, my powers were boostin' my own abilities somehow. Blowin' things up isn' de only thing I have." Remy waved one of his hands, gesturing to the area around himself. "I could feel things movin' in the room when dey came back, so I **knew** where y' were gonna be before y' landed just a bit ago. Right now, de area around us is a bit..." Remy looked up at the ceiling, gesturing randomly with his hands as he was trying to find the word, "... fuzzy, I guess. Because of all de debris."

He paused. "Are dey still glowin'?"

His father raised an eyebrow. "Y' eyes? Non."

Remy looked even more crestfallen. "Bummer. Dat would've been neat."

A chuckle. "Kids." Jean-Luc shook his head. "Dat move was quite de gambit, if y' eyes didn' distract me, den y' left y'self quite open for a moment dere. But if y' eyes had dat effect on me, dey probably would for anyone y' go up against. Y' might need a few more lessons from Madam Moinet, just to make sure y' get de finer points of bojutsu."

_Gambit, neh? I like that. Still need more lessons though? Ugh._ "I still got ya, Papa."

"Dat y' did. Can' deny dat. I'll talk to Madame Moinet about de session, and we'll let y' know our decision about y' test soon." He grinned briefly, then replaced it with a serious look. "But y' better go outside as soon as y' can and check t' see just how much of y' powers are back. When was de last time y' took de medicine?"

"Right before dis."

Jean-Luc winced. "Dat not good." He reached down to pick up his staff, then gestured for Remy to move along. "Better get goin', I'll clean up what I can in here."

Remy nodded and promptly left the room without further comment. Jean-Luc listened and faintly heard his son talking to Madame Moinet outside before silence surrounded him.

He placed his son's staff back on the rack, and examined his own. It had several scratches on it, but he rarely ever needed to use it. He thought it was in pretty good condition, considering he'd had it since his father Jaques had given it to him... a long time ago. But that wasn't what he needed to be thinking about right now. Gripping the metal staff tightly and sighing, he looked around the room. There was a small hole in the padded area of the training room that the roof covered, and burnt pieces of leather and padding were scattered around it. He'd have to get someone in here to come clean it up.

Stepping out into the hallway, he was greeted by Madame Moinet.

"Gettin' old, LeBeau?"

Jean-Luc grinned brightly at Moinet. "Dat I am, and with Remy beatin' me in record time, it must be showin', neh?"

Moinet smiled, clucking her tongue lightly and shaking her head. "I don' know how de boy did it, but it looked like y' were gonna whip him good. I thought I saw somethin' happen with de boy's staff, and den watched him hop around like a monkey with a sugar high. He tagged you fast, Luc, and dat's sayin' somethin'. I saw dat explosion too... de boy's power is back?"

Jean-Luc nodded. "Yes, apparently. I sent him outside just in case, so he can test dem t' see how bad dey are. He still beat me fair though. He thinks it be his powers dat give him increased agility, since he started doin' real well once dey kicked in. I guess he wasn' totally aware dat dey did 'til after de test, since he didn' even know he made de floor glow 'til I pointed it out."

With a nod, followed by a small bow to the Guildmaster, she started to back away. "Well, all things considered, I think de boy is good enough with or without his powers. A little rusty without dem, but excellent with dem. By my judgement, he passed de test. Assuming by your look of pride when y' watched him leave de room, and y' current smile with what I'm sayin', y' agree with me. So with y' permission I'm gonna go tell Remy he passed, and give him his new gear."

"T'anks, Moinet. Also, would y' tell him t' come see me in about two hours, please?" He brought two fingers up to his forehead and gave her a small, polite salute of dismissal. He was glad she was here, she was always quick with her decisions and prompt with her executions of them.

"Very well."

With that, she turned away and walked briskly down the hall. Jean-Luc turned around to go in the other direction. He was proud of Remy, of that there was no doubt. But he was also scared for Remy's safety, considering the pills from Essex didn't seem to be working anymore. Because of this, he knew he had a phone call to make.

"I wonder what de tuition is like for dis school o' Xavier's..."

He grumbled to himself as he entered his office, thinking that he'd have to dig around in the cabinets again to find out where he put that blasted phone number.

* * *

In case you've been wondering, Remy in this story (well, in 1992) was 11 years old. In the previous chapter, Feb 22nd was declared his birthday (for this story). So in this chapter, he is now 12. Just letting ya know.

- PdJ


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry about the wait on this chapter, hopefully it wasn't too long. It's nearly twice as long as the previous chapter, which was my longest before this one. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 5 - by Paradox Jast

**Summer, 1996**

Scott Summers looked at the papers in his hands. He was never very good at physics, but the Professor claimed that physics could have several very practical applications for powers. Especially ones like his.

Looking back up and frowning, a question died on his lips. He couldn't possibly see how there was any reason to know the rate at which gravity pulls objects back to the ground, or the speed of sound.

"Do you have something you wish to say, Scott?"

He mulled over his thoughts before speaking. "Not really Professor. I was about to ask why I needed to know this stuff... again. But then I realized you'll just tell me the same thing you have every time I asked that question before."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Charles Xaviers lips. "He understands at last."

Another frown. "Really, sir, when am I going to need the formula for gravity?"

Xavier shrugged slightly, flipping casually through a ledger that lay on his desk. "Scott, it's part of the cirriculum. For your age group, you're actually a year ahead. While most teenagers your age are wondering why they need to know about deoxyribonucleic acids, you're wondering why you need to know about gravity."

He closed the ledger, and looked back up at Scott. "I want you to get an education. The New York School Board wants you to learn about gravity." Leaning back in his wheelchair, he smiled. "Who am I to disagree?"

Knowing arguing would get him no further, Scott sighed and set his papers inside his notebook, then closed it. "Yes, sir. Maybe I'll understand the School Board some day."

"When you figure it out, let me know."

Scott grinned. "Why Profe --"

The phone in Xavier's office rang, cutting off Scott abruptly. He fell silent, watching the Professor reach for the phone. Standing up, he started to turn and make for the exit, but Xavier waved his hand back and forth rapidly, then pointed at the chair Scott just vacated. With a nod of silent assent as the phone was answered, he sat back in his chair and waited for the Professor to finish.

"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, this his Charles Xavier speaking. How may I help you today?"

Scott started scanning the room, as he had done many times before since he was recruited. It wasn't unusual for the Professor to get calls, as this was a school... albeit a sparsely populated one.

"Yes, Jean-Luc, I admit I am suprised to hear from you. Is something wrong?"

Scott was trying not to listen, but it was hard. The Professors voice had a serious edge to it that he hadn't heard for quite a while. He tuned in, just in case there was an emergency, but stared out the window behind Xavier, trying to keep his face set with a mask of disinterest.

"No no, it's not a problem at all. I told you the invitation would always stand."

His ears perked up at that. Invitation? Maybe they'd get another warm body to fill the mostly empty hallways. There were only five students here now. The mansion they lived in could easily hold fourty to fifty, more if they doubled up some rooms since they were so big. He'd stopped counting how many rooms there were somewhere after twenty-five.

"Very well. Yes... yes... okay, we'll see you in a couple days then. Goodbye for now."

Scott watched the Professor hang up the phone, then slouch a bit in his wheelchair, looking troubled.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Scott?"

"Is something wrong? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... I really couldn't help it."

Xavier shook his head, but remained serious.

"I wanted you here in case I needed you to relay something to the rest of the students, which I will."

He paused, closing his eyes and placed his fingertips together. Scott knew this pose well... the man was thinking about something. Remaining quiet, he waited for the Professor to gather his thoughts, fidgeting slightly in his seat. The Professor only thought like this when something serious was going on.

"Scott, do you remember a few years ago... Cerebro detected a faint mutant signature in New Orleans?"

Scott nodded, mostly because thats the first time he'd seen the Professor both startled and slightly disappointed at the same time. Being honest with himself, Scott realized he was probably too young to care about much else other than seeing the Professor looking the way he had.

"Vaguely, sir. I don't think I was paying much attention at the time. Henry and Warren had just joined us, I was too hyper."

Xavier nodded somberly, then spoke in a quiet tone while reminiscing. "Cerebro had detected a mutant signature there. It took a while to pinpoint the exact location, because it was so small. I used some contacts of mine to get a number to get in touch with the child's father. It took longer than I thought it would."

Sighing and leaning back, Xavier looked at his hands while he spoke. Scott leaned forward ever so slightly, hanging onto each spoken word.

"I finally got in touch with Mr. LeBeau, the boy's father. To my suprise, he turned me down. Interestingly, he claimed his boy had been cured - that they met a doctor who was able to supress his child's powers. I had no real counter to his claim, so I told him the invitation would always be open should anything change. He thanked me, I thanked him, and we never spoke again."

"Until now?"

Xavier nodded. "Until now. That was Mr. LeBeau on the other end of the line. There isn't much to tell, but in brief, he told me the time had come and that he'd be here with his son within the week."

Scott wanted to be excited at the prospect of having another student, but something was off. "Why now? It's been what... two, three years?"

The Professor looked at Scott, looking just as puzzled as he felt. "I have no idea. But I'm sure they had their reasons to wait this long. Now..."

Xavier wheeled out from behind his desk, moving around it and stopping near Scott as the teen stood. "I need you to inform the other students that we will be having visitors sometime this week. Ask Jean if she wouldn't mind taking a trip to the store for us to gather extra supplies, and tell Robert to get an extra dorm ready for our potential new student."

Scott smiled. "I'll get right on it." He left, nearly bouncing out of the room - off to find his friends and let them know the news.

Xavier chuckled at Scott's speedy departure, then headed for the study.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Three Days Later**

The black Mercedes pulled up to the gate of the Institute, stopping in front. Remy watched the driver get out and walk up to the gate, pressing a button near what he assumed was an intercom. Looking over at his father, Remy noticed his eyes were closed and he was leaning back in the seat with a calm expression on his face. _I wish I could have that kind of calm. I have no idea what I'm getting into here... and I've never liked schools._

He pushed his glasses further up his nose. When his eyes started to change color, he was teased relentlessy in school about them. As a result, he was taken out and home schooled for the past few years. When his father had told him about Xavier's school, he was wary. First, because it was a school. Second, because apparently there were other people like him there. _I KNOW that I'm dangerous. I wonder what some of these other people here can do._

The driver got back into the car, and they slowly lurched forward as the iron gate in front of them opened wide. The trip up the driveway was uneventful, Remy's father remained silent, and to stop his own restless hands, he pushed his sunglasses up his nose once again. He didn't like wearing them, but lately his eyes had become sensitive to light. They also had the added bonus of hiding his eye color, just in case the students here were less than receptive to them.

Coming to a stop in front of what looked to be the main doors of the Institute, Remy and his father casually stepped outside. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he waited for his father to come around to the other side before taking a step in any direction. This was his father's idea, so he'd sit back and observe as he was taught to do.

He heard a quiet grunt from his father, and turned to look. Jean-Luc was looking up that the mansion before them.

"Papa?"

"A privately funded institution as big as dis? Must be one powerful man. I would say it's nearly as big as de Guild Mansion."

Not knowing what to make of the comment, Remy kept his mouth shut. _I can't tell if he's impressed or intimidated. Probably a little of both._

"I guess." Remy groaned inwardly. "I guess dat means dis place is packed with students."

Jean-Luc looked at his son, nodded towards the door, and started walking. "I doubt it; checked out de spending for dis place. Other than a grossly high electric bill, all other expenses are low."

_Well, thats a bit of a relief._ Falling into step behind and to the side of his father, they walked up to the entrance. As they approached, the front door opened to show a young man standing there. _Looks to be my age. Whaddaya know, he's wearing glasses too. They're red though? Weird._

As they got closer, Remy noticed the other man smiling. They were greeted with a firm, clear voice, and a small wave.

"Hello. Welcome to the Institute. I'm Scott. I've been instructed to bring you both to Professor Xavier's office."

Scott smiled and extended his hand to Jean-Luc, which was met in kind with a faint smile and quick handshake from the elder LeBeau. "Hello Scott."

Scott nodded at Jean-Luc, then turned his attention to the younger LeBeau. "You must be Remy. It'll be nice to have another face around here." He grinned, extending his hand once again.

_Seems nice... so far._ Remy extended his hand and grasped Scott's. The handshake was firm but brief. Scott released his hand, then turned, gesturing for them to follow. "Comon. Professor Xavier's office is this way."

Jean-Luc stepped inside, followed by Remy. Closing the door behind him, Remy walked briskly to catch up to his father and Scott, not wanting to get lost in this place. They wandered from hallway to hallway, working their way to the Professor's office.

Remy whistled to himself as they walked down the halls. Scott was talking to his father about the school, but Remy tuned him out, instead staring at all the art that was on display. _Whoever this 'Professor' guy is, he must have some deep pockets to afford some things I see here. I wonder what Papa is thinking._ If his father was thinking anything, he wasn't showing it. At least, he appeared to be fully engrossed talking with Scott.

After a few minutes of walking, they approached some double doors. Scott stopped in front of one of the doors, knocked lightly, and opened it. Sticking his head in, Remy heard Scott explain that the guests were here, then watched as the other teenager stepped away from the door and turned to look at them.

He smiled. "The Professor is waiting for you. Go in when you're ready. Hopefully I'll see you again shortly, Remy." With a curt nod, he walked back down the hallway from whence they came.

Jean-Luc turned to his son. "Y' ready?"

_No._ "Ready as I'll ever be."

Without another word, Jean-Luc grabbed the door handle and opened it, walking into a bright office. Following behind him, Remy squinted out of habit, even though he still had his sunglasses on.

"Welcome to my school, Mr. LeBeau. Remy." Wheeling out from behind his desk, he rolled over to the side and gestured to the seats in front of his desk. Before they sat down, Xavier shook each of their hands.

Returning to the back of his desk, Xavier looked them both over briefly, then gave a genunie smile. "I must admit, I'm both suprised and pleased that you decided to come. I had thought Remy was..." he stumbled for a moment, but quickly caught himself, "... cured."

Remy watched his father lean back in the chair, as if preparing himself for a long speech. He'd seen it multiple times before when Jean-Luc chaired over Council meetings.

"It's... complicated. T' say de least. We visited a doctor, who was actually a client of our business. Dis doctor claims he was a chemist, but from some of de things he's been able t' do, I'd say he's a little more than dat. His name is Nathaniel Essex, don' know if y' have ever heard of him?"

"I'm afraid I haven't. I'll look into it though, rest assured."

Jean-Luc gave a tight lipped smile and continued. "He gave Remy here some medication, and it worked. Still works, for de most part."

Xavier interrupted him. "So you're saying sometimes it doesn't?"

Remy saw his father give a barely noticable shrug before continuing. "With some trial and error, we figured dat it doesn' work in extreme situations. Where Remy gets agitated, excited... t'ings like dat."

"So essentialy, Remy has circumvented the medication so that it no longer works."

"In extreme situations, yes."

"I see." Xavier paused as if considering something, then shook his head and smiled at Remy.

"Remy, I've always been curious as to what exactly it is you do."

_Here we go again... might as well get this over with._ "Do y' want me t' tell y', or would y' like a demonstration?" It came out a bit more forced than he intended, but it was too late to rephrase the question.

Xavier's smile faded, slightly. "A demonstration would be better, so long as it doesn't destroy property or injure anyone. Including yourself."

Remy looked to his father for approval, and was met with a small nod. Sighing and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a single playing card. Holding it up so the Professor could watch, he nudged it gently, feeling the molecules in the card get excited and start to move faster and faster. The card started glowing a faint magenta, along with a light sizzling noise. Remy tossed the card up in the air before the charge started getting too large, so it only exploded with a loud 'pop'. He felt a small breeze pass him from the force of the expanding air around the small explosion.

Both of Xavier's eyebrows raised. "That is... interesting. Do you have any idea how that happens?"

Remy shook his head, and his father remained silent. "Non. I have no idea."

The Professor nodded, leaning forward and folding his hands together on his desk. "Was that small explosion all you do?"

Remy smirked. "Dat was nothin'. I barely charged that."

"You can charge it more?"

"Yes. I could charge it t' a point where it would probably reduce most of y' desk to splinters, burn some of de room, and burn us. Not to mention throw y' out de window an me and my Pere against de wall."

Xavier brought his hands up to his mouth, contemplating once more, then spoke from behind them. "Thats just from... a card? Does a bigger object mean...?" He didn't finish the sentence, but it wasn't hard for Remy to figure out what he was getting at.

"A bigger boom? Yeah. Takes longer t' charge a bigger object, usually."

Remy watched Xavier's eyebrow shoot up. "Usually?"

"Depends how excited I am. De faster my blood is pumpin', de faster I can charge."

"I see." Xavier was considering what Remy had said. There was a moment of silence. "Does your power have any limitations, other than the size of the object?"

It was Remy's turn to be quiet. _Honestly... never really thought much about limitations. Too busy worried about charging something I shouldn't, trying to hold back._ "De only thing I've noticed is dat I can't charge anythin' that's still livin'. Was testin' my powers one day, tried chargin' a tree. Could charge de bark easy. Some parts of de wood held a charge, but dat took a long time."

Xavier nodded, leaning back in his wheelchair. Throughout the conversation, Remy noticed his father hadn't said a word. _Probably checking to see how much I tell this man, and how much I decide to keep to myself. The Professor will figure out everything he needs to know eventually anyway._

"My next question..." Xavier paused, readjusting himself in his chair, "What exactly brings you to me, three years after I first contacted you?"

Jean-Luc sat up straighter, clearing his throat. _I guess this is a question he wants to answer. Considering I didn't know this man existed until a couple weeks ago._ Remy placed his elbow on the armrest of the chair he was sitting in, then placed his head against his hand. _Getting bored... and so tired of answering the same questions over and over to everyone in the Guild, now I'm betting that I'll have to do it here too._

"At first, I thought Remy was like I told y'... cured. Not long after, we were sparring one afternoon. I noticed he was movin' slower than usual. I chalked it up t' bein' the medication, figurin' it was makin' him drowsy - so I stopped pushin' him, and started goadin' him on to be better. I knew he was."

Jean-Luc sighed, staring at the professor while talking. "I guess somethin' must have snapped. Next thing I know, he charges his staff, and starts bouncin' around all over de place, faster dan I can keep up. Somewhere in all his movin' around, he transferred the charge from the staff to the floor at my feet. It exploded, and no harm done, but he was still movin' faster than I had ever seen before."

Idly scratching his chin, he continued. "Over de course of de next week, we confirmed that de medication was still working. Most of de time, anyway. By the time a year passed, we figured dat any time he got excited, or angry... any extreme emotion, really... he could override de medication and bring his powers out. We had perhaps a handful of incidents over de course of a few years. Which brings me t' why we are here now."

Jean-Luc looked away from the Professor, as if unsure how to phrase why they were here now. Remy just yawned, he already knew what his father was going to say, considering he was the one being talked about. He was fidgeting in his chair, nearly bouncing out of it. Lately, he couldn't bear to sit still, it just made him irritable.

"Somethin' is wrong with my son's power. Y' saw earlier when he showed y' that he was holdin' a card, then threw it, and it exploded. Three weeks ago, we were lookin' for a new car for Remy's older brother, Henri. Remy here has always had a thing for bikes, and I let him wander off to go look at dem." He turned his head to look at his son, who was literally bouncing in his seat. "Would y' like to explain what happened Remy? Y' can probably tell de story better than me."

_I just want to get out of here!_ Remy snorted, then sighed, looking a little more somber. "I saw a bike I really liked. I mean, I was almost droolin' over it. I was examining de details, starin' at it. For no reason at all, I felt a slight pressure behind my eyes, I thought I was gettin' a quick headache. I didn' notice it at first, but I had apparently charged parts of de bike. I never touched it, not once. I looked at it, an' it blew up. Barely ran away in time."

The professor looked slightly startled, if that were possible. "I'm assuming that was not the only incident?"

Remy shook his head, and started counting different incidents off on his fingers. "Non. Dere was de fire extinguisher at de mall... dat made a mess, by de way. Part of de boardwalk down in Miami. Julien's fake tooth, he's okay, was just a little startled... and... I t'ink I'm forgetting one..."

Jean-Luc chuckled. "Tante Mattie's rolling pin."

Remy nodded, blushing slightly. "Oh yeah. Dat one."

Xavier wasn't sure whether to be worried or smile at Remy's embarrased state, so he kept his face expresionless instead. He coughed lightly, to gain their attention. "So... you would like me to keep Remy here to help him learn to control this ability?"

Jean-Luc nodded affirmative. "Can only trust medication so much, as has been proven. De best thing is for Remy t' learn t' control it on his own. He's agreed to stay here until he learns dat much."

Xavier turned a questioning gaze toward the elder LeBeau. "Only until he learns control, but not after?"

Jean-Luc didn't comment for a moment. "De boy has strong family ties and obligations. Bein' away from home as long as he may be is goin' t' be hard for him. Besides, if dis really is a school, why does he need t' stay after he has control?"

Xavier didn't answer the question Jean-Luc put to him, but instead started opening one of the drawers of his desk, searching for something. "Very well. I will leave that decision up to you and your son."

"T'ank you."

Xavier waved it off. "No thanks necessary. It was your choice to come here, just as it will be your choice to leave. I do not pressure anyone into anything." Pulling some papers from the drawer in his desk, he added, "I'll just need you two to fill out these enrollment papers, and Remy will be good to go. His training will start as soon as he's ready. Tomorrow, if he'd like."

Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn' we discuss tuition?"

Xavier smiled at the question. "So long as Remy does his best, gets at least average grades, and makes gradual improvement with his powers... there is no tuiton."

It was Jean-Luc's turn to smile. "I see. Well, Remy?"

Remy was crying inside. _Thats blackmail! I can't goof off, because if I do, Papa will know. Xavier will ask him for tuition money if I'm not doing well. This... is not good. But I have no real choice here. I don't want to accidentally hurt someone if my powers get any worse._ Sighing to himself, he leaned forward toward the desk and grabbed the papers Xavier was handing him.

"Where do I sign?"

Xavier chuckled. "Take them down the hall, second door on the left. Thats the study. Feel free to look them over with your father before you decide for certain. There's a few basics you need to fill out as well. When you're done, bring them back here. I'll be waiting."

Jean-Luc got up without a word and gestured for Remy to follow him. Remy got up and followed his father down the hall, grumbling all the way.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**The Study**

"Starin' at de paper ain' gonna get it done, Remy."

Remy sighed in is chair, his eyes skimming over the questionaire and information sheets. "I really don' wanna do this, Papa."

Jean-Luc was slowly pacing back and forth next to the window, occasionally looking outside. He kept his voice mild, but firm.

"Trust me, Remy, I don' wanna leave y' here either. Y' much more useful t' me and the guild at home, not t' mention you're my son and I worry about y' more dan anyone else. But y' a strong boy, Remy. I'm sure with Xavier's help, y' will be home again before y' know it."

Jean-Luc's spoken confidence in Remy didn't do much to change his mood.

"It's not so much dat bein here scares me Papa... because it doesn'. De only thing I'm afraid of right now, is bein' bored outta my mind. It is a _school_."

"Doesn' mean y' still can' practice y'... extracirriculars."

_Huh?! I can still... _"Y' mean I can still go around thievin'?"

He must have spoken a little louder than intended, for Jean-Luc winced slightly and made a hushing gesture. Remy sank back in his seat, blushing slightly.

"Y' can still practice. I'll contact Genard when I get back t' de Guild Mansion and have him set y' up a fence while y' here."

Remy looked like he was about to burst, he was so happy.

"However, dere's gonna be a cap on how much y' can do. I want y' t' get practice, but y' ain' gonna do it all de time. Mostly because I want y' t' get as much done with y' powers here as fast as y' can, so y' can' be gallavantin' around all de time around here. Plus, I don' need my son gettin' greedy. I didn' raise y' dat way."

Remy nodded at his father, a little more subdued, but still happy overall.

"If I get any assignments dat I think y' can handle, I'll send dem y' way."

Remy was smiling and still nodding, just happy he would have something to do so he wouldn't get bored while he was here. _I get to practice! And sometimes even go on official jobs! That means I have to be careful, not to get caught by anyone. I wonder if any of these other kids have a power like night vision... that would suck. _"Papa... what do I say if I get a job? What if I get.. caught?" Remy gulped slighlty, as if the thought of getting caught was a taboo.

Jean-Luc paused for a moment and stopped walking, staring at a painting on the far wall. "Don' get caught. Dat's all I can tell y'. You've been trained by de best our Guild has t' offer. As for jobs... I'll tell Xavier dat sometimes I might need y' t' help me out with de business, and since y' nearby I just have y' do things for me."

That answer satisfied Remy, for the most part. _I won't be able to do anything until I know what everyone else's abilities are... and how to avoid them._

Jean-Luc walked over to the table, arms crossed over his chest, and looked down at the papers on the table. "Y' gonna fill those out now, or do y' need me to do it for y'?"

Happier now that he knew he would find things to do to occupy himself, Remy quickly snatched up his pen and started filling in the blanks.

Five minutes later, without another word spoken between them, they exited the study and headed back in the direction of Xavier's office, application papers clutched tightly in Remy's hands.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**One Hour Later**

Henry McCoy walked into the kitchen, looking for a bite to eat. He opened the refrigerator, hoping to find some of last night's left over pizza. Seeing none, he sighed, and reached for the loaf of bread and some cheese. "Looks like its grilled cheese... again." He mumbled to himself, muttering about gluttonous snowmen, when he heard a rustling noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a teen he had never seen before, sitting at the table and staring out the window.

The cards in his hands were making a constant 'fwip' noise as he shuffled and mixed them up over and over.

Henry politely cleared his throat, but the stranger must have been daydreaming, because he didn't even acknowlege he heard anything.

Deciding to try again, Henry spoke up. "You must be the new recruit Scott was telling me about?"

Remy jumped in his seat, nearly dropping his cards to the floor. He caught them all faster than Henry thought possible... but he did witness it with his own eyes.

"Oh.. uhm... sorry mon ami, was just thinkin'. Yeah, I'm the new guy." Remy gave a small smile and a mock salute.

Henry smiled back, then returned to his task of making a grilled cheese. Reaching for the pan, he looked over his shoulder. "You hungry?"

"Non... jus' ate before I got here."

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. You need to know where anything is in here?"

Remy shook his head. "Scott gave me de tour. Even know where y' keep de toilet paper already."

Barking out a laugh, Henry turned on the stove, setting it up for his sandwich. "Thats Scott for you. Obsessive, compulsive, and everything in between."

Remy snorted. "Must be one of de school leaders then, right?"

Henry looked over his shoulder, toward Remy, raising an eyebrow. "Very good."

Shrugging, Remy didn't comment further. _It's all in the personality. Not too hard to figure out._

A few minutes passed, neither of them talking about anything. Remy stopped shuffling his cards, instead opting to set up a game of Solitaire on the table. Henry finished up, and came to sit next to Remy, watching him intently.

"So what do you think of the school so far?"

Remy didn't look up from his cards, but still answered. "Not much t' say right now. Haven' been here for more dan a hour or so."

"Have you met everyone yet?"

Remy paused at this, and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "Dunno. De Professor tells me dat dere be 5 students here." Remy looked up at the ceiling, still talking. "Scott was de first I met, and I met Bobby shortly after I agreed t' stay. He welcomed me, and dropped a snowball down my shirt when I wasn' lookin'."

Henry chuckled, but stopped when he recieved a glare from Remy. Strangely enough, Remy smirked right after the glare. "I got him back about 5 minutes later, snuck up to him quietly and gave him a wedgie. Never heard someone yelp and den run away so fast."

At this Henry burst out in laughter, unable to help himself. "Oh... oh my... the resident prankster got pranked!" Remy continued smirking while Henry tried to stifle his laughter, wiping a tear away from his eye.

"Resident prankster, hehn? Gonna have t' remember dat."

Henry nodded. "Indeed, indeed." Finally catching his breath, he looked back at Remy. "Who else?"

Remy went back to looking out the window. "I met Warren, he came t' see why Bobby was runnin' so fast. He grinned when I told him what happened. He introduced himself as 'Warren Worthington the Third, heir to Worthington Industries, then promptly excused himself from my presence'." Remy suprised Henry, as well as himself with his enunciation and attempted New England accent, mimicking Warren. _Maybe I should work on that more, might be a hidden talent of mine._

Henry finished making his sandwich and started munching away at it, chuckling lightly and waving his free hand nonchalantly, encouraging Remy to continue.

Looking at Henry, he was about to say more when Scott walked in, interrupting them both.

"Hey Henry! Remy! Whats up?"

"Henry's tryin' t' swallow a mouthful, and I'm tellin' him who I've met so far."

"Cool! I don't mean to change the subject, but is there anyone you haven't met yet? I can arrange for you to meet them."

Remy looked at Scott, then at Henry, then to his cards. "Strangely enough, according to y' all and y' Professor, I've met one more person than I should have."

Henry almost choked on his sandwich, but waved away Remy's offer to slap him on the back. Scott looked confused at first, then something akin to understanding came across his features.

"I've met y', Scott. And y', Henry. Bobby an' Warren." He paused for a moment. "I saw Jean, she said hi t' me, and then ran off. Looked like she was angry about somethin', but I'm new and didn' want t' be nosy so I let her go."

Scott seemed to pale slightly at that comment, but just nodded.

"I saw someone else too, another girl with jet black hair. Went t' introduce m'self, but she just looked at me, didn' say nothin', and walked away. Haven't seen her again since."

Scott nodded. "That was Sage. She um..." He looked to Henry to finish the sentence.

Henry turned to Remy, a serious expression marring his features. "According to the Professor, Sage doesn't exist."

Remy was actually startled, he knew it showed on his face, since Henry continued, trying to explain.

"According to the Professor, Sage has some rather unique and special abilities. He claims the less we know about her, the better it is for us, and for her as well. We don't know anything about her, other than we encounter her here in the kitchen maybe once a week, for a couple minutes when she gets food. Otherwise, we don't exist to her either."

Remy didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded, and went back to his game. "Anyone know why Jean didn' want to talk? She didn' exactly leave a good impression, an' I'm new."

At that comment, Scott looked distinctly uncomfortable. He paled first, then started blushing. "I uh... well... you see..." Scott started absently scratching the back of his neck as he tumbled over words.

Remy looked up at Scott, smirking a little. _Might be fun to push his buttons just a little bit._ "Oh, I get it. It's okay, we all have rough moments sometimes."

Scott opened his mouth and closed it like a fish out of the water. "No! I mean... well not like that... but... oh geez. Henry, you were there, please?" Remy couldn't help but laugh outright at Scott's lack of ability to talk, and he had plenty of thoughts as to why. _He must like the girl... she was good looking. Maybe I should start something with her, when she's feeling better, just to get under Scott's skin a little. He's a nice guy, but needs to loosen up something serious._

Henry had a humorous glint in his eye, and began to explain the situation to Remy amidst his chuckling.

"Well, it seems our leader here has taken a fancy to a certain redhead. Given the circumstances, and the distinct lack of choices, it's not too hard to figure out why."

Remy laughed at this, and Henry couldn't help but snicker as well. Scott glared.

"Anyway, it seems she caught old Slim here doing something he shouldn't have been, and decided to give him a piece of her mind. I wasn't privy to the conversation, I was too busy studying. But you couldn't help but overhear a few choice words." Henry looked over to Scott, and the former looked at his fingernails. Then he started to talk, filling in the rest. Remy had to lean in to hear, Scott was talking quietly.

"Warren and I were fighting over who would be a better match for her. Without giving too much detail to you two jokers," he glared at them each in turn, "she was standing nearby and apparently heard the whole thing. She looked furious, and as soon as he saw her, Warren tried to play the whole thing off and sweet talk her. She didn't like that, and pretty much threw him into the study."

Henry cackled to himself. "Poor guy, he looked so dazed and there were feathers everywhere."

Scott and Remy both smirked, then Scott spoke up louder and continued his story. "Jean gave me a piece of her mind, saying it was her choice and no one elses, and she was so sick of boys thinking they know everything, blah blah... stuff like that. I wasn't listening, I was just trying to protect myself in case she decided to throw me somewhere. Then she just turned around and stormed off. I guess thats when you crossed her path, Remy."

Scott winced a little. "Sorry about that."

"No problem, mon ami. Y' couldn' have known I would be crossin' her path. Besides, I'm still here in one piece."

Scott smiled, then turned to Henry. "Basketball later?"

Henry had started looking at the sports section of the paper. He nodded, and mumbled a "Sure." without looking up.

"You're welcome to join us Remy. We'll finally have even teams. Well, mostly even."

Remy stared at Scott, trying to figure if he was implying something about Jean playing and being a girl, or Warren's wings making him slow. "Sure. I'll be dere. Nothin' else t' do."

Scott clapped his hands together and got up. "Great, basketball court in 2 hours."

Remy nodded and went back to his card game.

"Oh, and by the way. I still need to give you the second part of the tour, I'll let you choose when after the game. You'll get to look around downstairs. Then we're going to have a small practice session whenever your're ready where you get to see everyone's powers, and we get to see yours. I hope they're good." Scott was grinning like an idiot.

Remy simply snorted. "Be careful what y' wish for..."

Scott's grin faded. "Right. Okay, see you guys in two." He turned and departed the kitchen.

Henry got up from the table shortly after, folding the paper back up and setting it in the middle of the table. He glanced at Remy, watching the younger teen as he finished up his game of Solitaire.

"You don't like your powers?"

Remy didn't respond at first, mulling over the answer. _Its complicated. Very complicated._ "Yes, and no. At first, dey weren' so bad. I had control, dey weren' dat strong. As I've gotten older, dey have gotten worse. Much worse. Dat's de only reason I'm here right now."

Henry frowned at how serious his new friend got when talking about his powers. He walked over and placed a comforting hand on Remy's shoulder. _Wow, his hand is huge! It covers my entire shoulder! I just noticed..._

"The Professor is a good man, he'll help you. He's helped all of us here today in one way or another."

Remy stacked up his cards, and put them back in their box. He slid the box into the back pocket of his pants. "I hope so, Henry." Remy turned and walked toward the door, his head hanging slightly.

Henry remained where he was and watched the Cajun teen exit. Yet another day for him to wonder why people so young had to deal with responsibilities so great.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Reference:  
Bobby - 14  
Remy, Scott, Jean - 15  
Warren - 16  
Henry - 17


End file.
